When you’re down and out, remember these 16 things to be thankful for

It seems that no matter where you look, there are bad things happening in the world.

Some of them are closer to home than you might like, while others seem so far away they might as well be on another planet.

But if you take stock of what is good and what is worth being grateful for, you might find that the bad things don’t have a big place in your life.

The more you fill your life with the good, the less room there is for the bad.

To help you see that there are good things all around you, here are 16 things to be grateful for today.

1) Your Health

Even if you are sick with disease, there are elements of your health that are to be celebrated.

Like, for instance, you are breathing. You have eye sight. You can stand up. You can laugh if you want to. All of that points to a body that you should be thankful for.

2) Whatever Money You Have

Sure, some days it seems like there is never enough money to go around.

But if you find yourself thinking bad thoughts about money and then undoubtedly your life, think about how grateful you are for the money you do have – however much or little of it you have.

Even a small amount is something to be happy about since it is more than some people have.

3) A Friend

Some of us are lucky enough to have multiple good friends, but if you have even just one good friend, you should consider yourself blessed.

Having someone you can connect with, chat with, laugh with, and share experiences with is important to our lives. So be grateful for your friend.

4) Your Parents

Even though you might want to murder them sometimes and even if they left you in a dumpster when you were born, they still gave you life and that’s something.

5) Sunday Mornings

There’s nothing quite like waking up on Sunday morning and realizing you don’t have to get out of bed.

If you work on Sunday, enjoy one of your days off the same way you would a Sunday morning. Rise slowly, relax, take in the afternoon sun, go to bed early.

6) A Pet

Even if you don’t have a pet right now, take some time to think fondly of your previous animal friends.

Long gone or just recently lost, remembering your pets can bring a smile to your face and remind you that there is such a thing as unconditional love in this world.

7) Learning From Your Mistakes

We all make mistakes, but we don’t all take the time to learn something from them.

Spend some time thinking about when you might have dropped the ball and figure out how you can do things differently later.

It will really make you appreciate the experience even if it was not as great as you had hoped.

8) Somewhere to Sleep

Whether you live in a cardboard box or a mansion, having anywhere to lay your head at night is something to be grateful for.

If you look around your crappy apartment and feel like you deserve more in life, try being thankful for what you already have and see how your perception changes.

9) You Can Read

Yes, many people around the world still don’t have access to books and can’t read the written word.

If you are scrolling through Facebook bored out of your mind, consider yourself lucky just to be able to read the boring titles of another photo album from your annoying sister-in-law.

10) You Can Breathe Clean Air

Be glad that the air you breathe is not contaminated.

With the threats of chemical warfare always just on the horizon, you never know how long you’ll be able to breathe clean air for – so be grateful while you can.

11) Laugh

You can laugh and joke and feel good about things, so why bother feeling bad about them?

If you take the time to laugh at the little things, suddenly, the big things don’t seem so big anymore and you can approach your problems from a new perspective.

12) The Sun

Sure it warms the earth and provides us with food we need to live, but it’s also awesome to hang out under and if you can make your way outside just for a few minutes everyday, you’ll feel better.

13) Time

While we all want more time in the run of a day, think about time from the big picture: we all only have so much of it.

Life is not getting any longer. Make the most of your days and remember that time is not infinite for us.

14) Clean Water

Even if you live in a place where you have to boil your water to drink it, you are still light years ahead of many people in the world who don’t even have that.

So the next time you wish you had a grande mocha frappuccino with chocolate sprinkles, think about how great water is and grab a glass of that instead.

15) Your Cell Phone

It seems that even people who struggle to pay rent and buy food have money to own a cell phone. So regardless of your financial circumstances, if you have a phone, be grateful for it.

16) Love

Whether it’s love lost or love found, having had the chance to love someone is never something to take lightly.

Be glad for the experience, regardless of how it ended and you’ll be grateful for the experience for years to come.

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In 2018, the third year of Hack Spirit, I poured thousands of hours and considerable resources into creating these articles. It's a labor of love and remains free thanks to your patronage. If you found any value in these articles, please consider supporting what I do with a donation. Your support is what helps me to continue creating more Hack Spirit articles. To make a donation, select the amount and click the "donate" button below.

I’m Lachlan Brown, the founder and editor of Hack Spirit. I love writing practical articles that help others live a more mindful and better life. I have a graduate degree in Psychology and I’ve spent the last 6 years reading and studying all I can about human psychology and practical ways to hack our mindsets. If you to want to get in touch with me, hit me up on Twitter or Facebook.